Saturday, February 03, 2007

Sri Aurobindo Society February '07

News from Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry)
Upcoming Events
129th Birth Anniversary of the Mother - 21 February 2007
The Mother
On 21 February 2007 we celebrate the Mother's 129th birth anniversary. The Mother's room will be open for darshan for devotees on that day. There will also be a collective meditation in the Ashram from 6:00 to 6:30 am.
The Mother came to the earth with a great spiritual mission. Sri Aurobindo has said that:
"The Mother comes in order to bring the Supramental", and "Her embodiment is a chance for the earth-consciousness to receive the Supramental into it and undergo the transformation necessary for that to be possible."
The Mother first met Sri Aurobindo in the year 1914. After their meeting, Sri Aurobindo said that he had never seen anywhere a self-surrender so absolute and unreserved as that of the Mother. Later, Sri Aurobindo mentioned about the significance of the presence of the Mother on earth in the following words:
"The great work of the Avatar is to manifest the Divine Grace upon earth. To be a disciple of the Avatar is to become an instrument of the Divine Grace. The Mother is the great dispensatrix - through identity - of the Divine Grace with a perfect knowledge - through identity - of the absolute mechanism of Universal Justice. And through her mediation each movement of sincere and confident aspiration towards the Divine calls down in response the intervention of the Grace."
The Mother herself has emphasised that "I am on earth because it is on earth that the divine work must be done, and for no other reason."
Dr. M.V. Nadkarni's forthcoming Series of Talks
The Society will organise the next in the series of study camps by Dr. Mangesh Nadkarni at its Beach Office hall from 23 February to 5 March 2007 on Sri Aurobindo's "Savitri". As usual there will be two sessions daily 9:00 to 10:00 am and 10:30 to 11:45 am. The talks are open to all.
Recent Events
New Year Day - 1 January 2007
Lighting of lamps during New Year meditation at the Society
The New Year was ushered in the Ashram with collective meditation at 6:00 am with recorded music composed by Shri Sunil Bhattacharya. In the evening, there was a March Past at 6:55 pm and a collective meditation at 7:45 pm.
At the Sri Aurobindo Society Beach Office there was a vibrant atmosphere to greet the New Year, with the lighting of lamps and meditation along with music, chanting of hymns in Sanskrit and devotional songs, invoking the Grace of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
All India Youth Camp for National Integration - 3 to 11 January 2007
The annual All India Youth Camp for National Integration was organised by the Society at Pondicherry from 3rd to 11th January 2007. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), New Delhi, sponsored the entire Camp. 53 youths (23 girls and 30 boys) in the age group of 16-25 yrs. from 17 States of India including A.P., Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, M.P., Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttaranchal, etc. participated in the Camp with enthusiasm and joy. Shri Vijay, Member Executive - Admin. & Finance, Shri Kaivalya Smart, Member - Executive Committee, Shri Shivakumar & a team of youth coordinated the entire Camp.
Visit by Students of SAIMC, New Delhi - 12 to 18 January 2007
Shri Vijaybhai's session on the "Wonder That is Sanskrit"
A group of 39 students from the Films & Advt. and Journalism streams of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Mass Communication (SAIMC), New Delhi, - a unit of Sri Aurobindo Society - visited the Ashram on a study tour. A number of sessions were arranged for them. Shri Vijaybhai welcomed all and gave a brief introduction to the Ashram and Sri Aurobindo Society. During his discussion, he also brought out the need to become more aware of oneself, if one wants to control and be master of oneself. Later, Shri Vijaybhai also took a session on the "Wonder That is Sanskrit", with the help of the Society's Multimedia CD on the same theme. The CD showcased the wonder, beauty and charm of the language and some of the most amazing poetic creations in Sanskrit.
Devdip, sharing his experience in the Ashram
One whole day was spent at the Society's Lakeland Matrikunj, situated at about 11 kms. away from Puducherry. All the students cycled to the Lakeland, to be with Nature for a day. At the Lakeland, Maitreyee conducted Nature awareness games and discussions on the environmental issues faced by the country and how the media can help in creating awareness of these issues among the masses.
A view of the students from SAIMC
Other sessions included Chanting of Sanskrit hymns by Dr. Sampadananda Mishra, Yogic exercises by Shivakumar, a discussion on the "Role of Media in One's Life" by Dr. Alok Pandey wherein he explained that the role of media is to bring out the truth and beauty from within through creative expressions of a higher order, Prof. Manoj Das explained this further with a number of illustrative stories and anecdotes. Shri Ram Sehgal took up the role of education and how an ideal education should be, and Devdip, an ex-student of the Ashram's Centre of Education, shared with the group the way of a student's life at the Ashram.
Visit by Students of Kanchipuram University - 14 January 2007
About 45 students from the Sanskrit dept. of the Kanchipuram University, Tamil Nadu, visited the Ashram and Auroville for a day. In the morning, two sessions were organised for them at the Beach Office of the Society. In the first session, Shivakumar welcomed all and spoke to them about the significance of the Ashram and the teaching of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He also discussed about the 'Aim of Life' and how to go about achieving it. Dr. Sampadananda Mishra presented the multimedia CDs brought out by the Society on the theme "Wonder That is Sanskrit". He explained about the role of Sanskrit in the Nation's onward progress, the intrinsic beauty and charm of the Sanskrit language with the help of some amazing poetic creations in Sanskrit. After visiting the Puducherry Museum, the group spent the afternoon in Auroville, before returning to Kanchipuram.
Books Released Recently
1. Dhyana (Yoga in Everyday Life Booklet Series) Translated into Oriya by Sadhu Charan Pattanaik Price: Rs. 15/-
This booklet in Oriya is a translation of the booklet "Meditation" - a compilation of writings from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on the theme of Meditation.
The above booklet is available at: Navajyoti Karyalayam, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry <navajyoti@sriaurobindoashram.com>
Some Special Days in February 2007
17 February 2007 - Maha-Shivaratri
Lord Shiva
Maha-Shivaratri - "Lord Maha-Shiva's Night" - this year falls on 17 February 2006. The sacred day is usually observed with a feast and a night of strict vigil in which devotees keep awake by engaging in various spiritual practices. Sri Aurobindo has said about Lord Shiva:
"Shiva is the Lord of Tapas." "…Mahashiva means a greater manifestation than that ordinarily worshipped as Shiva-the creative dance of a greater Divine manifesting Power."
News from Branches and Centres
News from Abroad Nairobi (Kenya)
The members of the Nairobi Centre met at the Bhavan on 1 January 2007 at 11:00 am. The Mother's prayer for the New Year was read out and also the New Year Message. There was a half an hour meditation with Sunil-da's music. About 35 devotees were present. The New Year calendars of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were distributed to all.
News from India
Tenali (Andhra Pradesh)
Siddhi Day meditation at the Tenali Centre
The Siddhi Day was celebrated by the Tenali Branch on 24 November 2006. Shri K. Prabhakar Rao of Sri Aurobindo Society, Tenali Branch, hoisted the Mother's flag after a collective meditation around the Shrine. All the teachers and students of Sri Aurobindo Vidya Kendram, Tenali, and members of the Society participated.
At a function held at the Savitri Bhavan, Shri K.R.L. Prasad, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Education Society, presided. Smt. K. Syamala and Shri K. Bhaskara Rao spoke about the Siddhi Day. Smt. K. Sampoorna, Director of the school, gave the Vote of thanks.
The 9th anniversary of Sri Aurobindo's sacred Relics enshrinement and the 26th anniversary of Sri Aurobindo Vidya Kendram, Tenali, were celebrated on 5 December 2006 - Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi day. After a collective meditation around the Shrine and the hoisting of the Mother's flag, a Youth Meet was conducted on the theme of "Education - Towards Tomorrow (a silent revolution in the light of Sri Aurobindo)". About 60 B. Ed. (Hindi pandits) students and a few other youths, teachers, parents and students of Sri Aurobindo Vidya Kendram assembled at the Savitri Bhavan under the chairmanship of Shri K.R.L. Prasad. Shri P.C. Swaroop, State youth co-ordinator, spoke to the audience about the lives of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and their teachings. Shri K. Bhaskara Rao, Editor, Divya Deepika, explained the salient features of Integral Education. Shri K.V. Rao brought some important messages of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, especially for the youth. The youth meet was followed by a question & answer session. Smt. K. Sandhya Rani gave the Vote of thanks.
Andhra Pradesh - 12th Annual State Conference on 9 & 10 Dec. 2006
The 12th Annual Conference of all centres and branches of Sri Aurobindo Society in Andhra Pradesh was held at Hyderabad on 9 and 10 December 2006.
9th December being Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi day, the inaugural session started with the Mother's flag hoisting and group meditation. After the welcome address by Dr. M.V. Nadkarni, Chairman of the Society's Hyderabad Branch, reading of the annual report by Shri V. Subbarao, Secretary, Andhra Pradesh State Committee, and opening remarks by Shri B. Venkatramaiah, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Committee, Shri D. Ramakrishna, I.A.S., who was the Chief Guest, inaugurated the conference and delivered his keynote address. Six elderly devotees who have done great service to the movement of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were honoured, two of them posthumously.
The next session, which was a Seminar on 'Spirituality and Life', was presided over by Dr. G. Nageswara Rao. The main speakers were Dr. T.V. Nagaranjani, Shri V. Subbarao, Shri Y.S.V.S. Murthy and Shri T.D. Sudhakar. This was followed by Shri Guru Pershad Memorial lecture by Mr. Peter Heehs of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry. The subject of his talk was "Sri Aurobindo and Hinduism". This session was presided over by Prof. Sachidananda Mohanty of the University of Hyderabad. The first day's proceedings ended with a cultural programme in which Shri Madan Bhattacharji and his wife Smt. Manjusha Bhattacharji gave a musical offering of devotional songs, followed by an Odissi dance recital by Ms. Madhumita Patnaik of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry.On 10 December, the 2nd day of the conference started with a session on Education, presided over by Shri J. Surendracharya, Vice Chairman of Telengana Region in the State Committee of Andhra Pradesh. The main speakers were Dr. S.D.V. Ramana and Smt. K. Sampoorna. There was also a meeting of activists and regional heads for discussion on organisational matters.
Vadodara (Gujarat) - 35th Annual Conference on 24 & 25 Dec. 2006
The 35th Annual Conference was held at Sri Aurobindo Niwas on 24 and 25 December 2006. Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, inaugurated the Conference on 24th at 11:15 am. The function started with Prayer by Jignasa Shah. Dr. Soni spoke on the present day necessity of understanding and following the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Shri Pradeep Narang spoke on 'Spirituality in daily life'. Shri Parashar Dwivedi conducted the proceedings and Mr. Sharad Joshi gave the Vote of thanks. A Youth session was conducted by Shri Kaivalya Smart on 24 December. "More Youth Camps, more activities, more youth" was the subject of the session.
A Women's Council session was also held in which Shri Pradeep Narang spoke on pre-natal education and woman as mother. Ms. Jyotiben Thanki chaired the session. A Sanskrit session was conducted by Shri Atmanandji of Vivekananda Kendra. Smt. Angiraben rendered a recitation. Students gave a cultural programme in Sanskrit. Prof. Vishwanath Roy and Prof. Yogesh Oza delivered lectures. Shri Hanskumar Mankad gave the Vote of thanks.
Prof. Bishwanath Roy spoke on "Dreams of Sri Aurobindo" during the Sri Aurobindo Memorial Lecture - a function being organised by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation every year.
Uttar Pradesh State Committee
Uttar Pradesh State Committee organised a function at Jaunpur in December 2006. Dr. J.P. Singh, Professor at the Gorakhpur University, was the Chief Guest, Dr. Rajeshwar Acharya was the Special Guest. They spoke on Sri Aurobindo and his philosophy.
The committee organised an Essay & Talk Competition at Raghavram Verma International College, on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The purpose was to make the students aware of the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)
Members of the Lucknow Centre gathered on 19 November 2006 at the Centre for a function. The programme started with bhajan sung by Shri Arya Bhushan Tiwari. Shri Akhilesh Kumar spoke on "Gyan Yagya" and "Who Am I?" Swami Satya Govinda spoke on "Consciousness". The function ended with bhajans of Kumari Priya Chauhan.
On 26th November about 50 people gathered at the residence of Shri S.C. Mishra. Members did a collective meditation and readings from the works of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Shri S.P. Sharma spoke on the significance of "Siddhi Divas".
9th December was celebrated with collective meditation at the Centre. A bhajan was sung by Acharya Chandra Bhushan. The programme concluded with a question and answer session by Dr. S.P. Sharma.
Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
The Shahjahanpur Centre observed 5 December 2006 by collectively meditating at the Centre. All the members who gathered on this day were explained about the importance of the day.
The Centre celebrated the New Year 2007 with collective meditation and readings from the works of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, in the morning. The Centre published a New Year greeting card and a leaflet containing Mother's prayers, which were distributed to all the members.
Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh) - Talk on "Yoga and Its Objectives"
The Sultanpur Branch organised a talk by Dr. J.P. Singh, Chairman of the Sultanpur Branch, at Shahzadpur (Ambedkar Nagar), U.P., on 31 December 2006. The topic was "Yoga and Its Objectives". The talk was followed by an interesting session of questions and answers.
Jaipur (Rajasthan) - Workshop on "The Practice of Integral Yoga"
The Jaipur Centre organised a two-day workshop on "The Practice of Integral Yoga" at the H.C. Mathur Institute of Public Administration, Jaipur, on 3 and 4 December 2006. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Alok Pandey. Shri R.K. Choubisa, Senior Project Officer, H.C.M. Institute of Public Admn., gave the welcome address and Shri Amod Kumar, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society Rajasthan State Committee, introduced Dr. Alok Pandey and the subject of the workshop. On 4 Dec. Shri P.K. Vijay, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society Jaipur Centre, gave the Vote of thanks. There were about 60 participants. The entire proceedings were covered by the local newspapers.

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